Another Wedding Job
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Nate and Sophie get married, but of course, their wedding doesn't exactly turn out the way it's supposed to. - Eliot/Parker, Nate/Sophie, Hardison, Bonanno


**Title:** Another Wedding Job  
**Summary:** Nate and Sophie get married, but of course, their wedding doesn't exactly turn out the way it's supposed to. Behind the backs of the newly married couple, quite a few things are going on, including an unexpected job, which basically makes them the team's clients. Eliot and Parker admit their feelings to each other, Hardison spots bad guys among the guests, and, along with Captain Bonanno, the trio has to make sure to stop those guys before they can mess with their friends' wedding party.  
**Characters/Pairings:** Eliot/Parker, Nate/Sophie, Hardison, Bonanno  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.  
**Author's note:** Thank you so much to akblake for betaing and to astral_angel for making the awesome art for it! For thebigbangjob at livejournal

* * *

Nate and Sophie's wedding had only been a question of time. With such a long history of first following each other across the world and then working together for years, their feelings had gotten every possible chance to grow and intensify.

That Sophie had a soft spot for weddings had become obvious when they had attended one to take down a Mafioso. The dresses, the food, the party. Sophie was a romantic, and everything that promised to turn into a big show was more than appealing to her.

Eliot had a complicated relationship with weddings. There was no doubt that he had jumped into proposing to Aimee far too soon. He had never come closer to getting married, and he couldn't deny that even though the end of this relationship had pained him, deep down he was glad he hadn't made this step after all. He hadn't been ready to settle down, and he couldn't help but wonder if he ever would.

Not for a second he had doubted that once Nate had proposed, neither he nor Sophie would back out of this engagement. Those two had proven more than once what their feelings for each other made them capable of. There had been a lot of bumps in the road for those two. Especially Sophie's patience had been tested more than once with Nate's fights for control and his habit of turning to alcohol whenever pain and memories had threatened to overwhelm him.

Eventually, all bumps had been passed though, and the couple had come out of those challenges a little stronger every time. In a couple of hours, they would tie the knot, would promise to love each other for the rest of their lives. Eliot could see why especially women had such a soft spot for weddings: no one could deny that there was something romantic to it.

Funny enough, Parker's view on weddings differed much from the one most women he knew had on it. She didn't seem to entirely understand the purpose of it, despite all the times Sophie had tried to explain to her why marrying Nate would count to the most beautiful days in her life.

Then again, he fairly doubted that Parker was a relationship person in the first place. It had taken her a while to get used to the team, and even longer to trust in them. Somewhere along the line, she had accepted that the five of them had become something like a family, that they could completely, entirely rely on each other. But a romantic relationship? Marriage? Combined with Parker, that didn't seem to match.

Parker. Eliot sighed inwardly as his thoughts focused on her at this point. People said that every person only had a matter of seconds to make a first impression. Parker's first impression on him had been the one of a crazy woman with a strange love for jumping off everything that was tall enough to give her a decent adrenaline kick. Parker, the one who asked the strangest questions in the strangest and most unfitting moments one could imagine. Parker, the one who would mistake a sex tape for one of fitness training.

Eliot hadn't been too surprised when he had started to get used to her quirks with the time, had found a way to get along with her more and more. He also hadn't been surprised when she had become his friend. Unfortunately, he hadn't stopped at this safe, innocent point. Once she had started to get through to him with her weird behaviour, she had somehow managed to wiggle her way straight into his heart. Why exactly she of all people had to catch his attention in a way like this was a mystery to Eliot.

It had been so easy to hook up with women here and there. It felt good to flirt, and everything said flirting would eventually lead to. A great distraction that could get one's thoughts of the past, present and future, at least for a couple of hours. Things would end sooner rather than later, and he would go looking for someone else. They didn't know him, not at all, and this anonymity had been much appreciated. There weren't any uncomfortable questions, he didn't need to come up with lies to cover his lies that were supposed to hide who he was now, who he had once been.

Things with Parker were entirely different. She knew him entirely too well by now. All of them did. Parker wasn't a woman he could easily talk into going out with him. Drinks, a few nice compliments and a fine dinner didn't work for her. Chances were high that she wouldn't even come close to understanding what he was up to in the first place. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen as soon as she figured out that she had caught his attention in a way that didn't have much to do with friendship anymore. She wouldn't understand why he had come to admire the way she got excited over the strangest things, sometimes so random that no one would even notice them, and the way she used to smile in such moments. Or why he was attracted to her, because he was fairly certain that she had no idea which effect she could have on a man.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he fought down the all too familiar frustration, caused by the realisation that although those feelings were getting stronger and stronger with every second he was spending around her, there was absolutely no chance for anything to happen between them. And even if she understood, even if those feelings were mutual, the thought of giving in to them, of letting her so close and of the consequences a relationship with her would bring with it frightened him more than anything. Even worse was the fact that said feelings were already heading into a dangerous territory. What a lucky man he was, for picking one of the few women that were out of his reach.

"Man, how much longer is she going to stay in there, huh?"

Interrupted by Hardison's annoyed voice, Eliot needed a moment to find his way back to the present and clear his mind enough to remember that this day wasn't about his confusing and equally frustrating feelings for a certain thief but a wedding of their dearest friends. Dressed in their suits and ready to go, the two men were sitting on the thick leather couch in one of the large rooms of the pompous manor they had taken over for this special event. Parker had disappeared into the bathroom who knew how long ago, to dress up as well. She hadn't returned ever since.

"Hey Parker, everything's alright in there?" Hardison shouted.

"No," was the frustrated answer they received in return, muffled by the door that separated them from her. "I look horrible."

"I doubt you do," Eliot sighed, shaking his head. Neither he nor Hardison had seen what Sophie had picked for her bridesmaid, but both men had been convinced right from the start that dressing up would be the most hated part of the wedding for the blonde. "Come out already! We're going to be late because of you. You think Sophie'll be pleased?"

An even more frustrated groan was his answer. "This is just ridiculous," she cursed, according to the noises that followed then letting out part of her frustration on the bathroom items. "Why do you have to dress up for a wedding, anyway? The bride does, fine, but why me?"

"What would you have liked to wear instead, huh?" Hardison asked back, struggling with suppressing a chuckle. "Jeans and a t-shirt?"

"I don't see what'd be wrong with that," Parker answered from the other side of the door. "At least you'd feel comfortable in them!"

"It's a damn wedding, Parker, you don't wear jeans and a t-shirt for that." Eliot groaned. No one, neither men nor women, had ever been capable of driving him crazy the way she did, in so many different ways. "Now, come out already. You'll look just fine."

This time, all he got in response was a snort. But, much to his and Hardison's relief, the door was finally unlocked and pushed open. Out of the bathroom stepped a perfectly dressed up Parker, with an expression on her face that didn't match the rest of her appearance at all.

"See, told you I look ridiculous," she complained with a frustrated frown.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. At all," Hardison said. Eliot only nodded in agreement.

Sophie had done a good job with picking the dress of her bridesmaid. The light blue colour of the long dress suited the young woman perfectly. So did its cut, which emphasized her female curves just perfectly. Knowing her, Eliot could also see why she would dislike it though; one couldn't run in such a dress, or jump off a building. She would be forced to move slowly and carefully if she didn't want to damage the expensive fabric. To sum it up, she would have to behave like a lady, and he doubted there was much more she hated to do.

"Why are we staring?" Parker asked then, forcefully interrupting both men in their thoughts. "I look horrible, don't I? I'll just...wear something else. There should be jeans and a shirt in there somewhere."

With those words, she turned around, threatening to lock herself in the bathroom again. Prepared for the unexpected, Eliot pushed himself off the couch and grabbed her arm before she got the chance to slam the door shut behind her.

"You look fantastic, you won't change into anything else and we'll go now," he told her, firmly and as calm as possible.

"Make me," she tried to challenge him, with the wicked expression of a little girl that tried to get her will. Wordlessly, he took her hand and dragged her with him, towards the door, ignoring her protest and Hardison's amused grin.

Without any further interruptions though, they arrived downstairs in the giant hall, where most of their guests had arrived already. Nate hadn't been the only one who had been unsure whether or not it was a good idea to invite so many people to the wedding. Not all of them were really supposed to meet. Sophie was even more stubborn than Nate though, and eventually had gotten her will.

"It's getting a little crowded now," Hardison stated.

"Indeed." Parker nodded enthusiastically. Eliot sighed inwardly at the all too familiar sparks he had already spotted in her eyes.

"No stealing," he whispered. "Those are friends of Nate and Sophie. We don't steal stuff that belongs to friends."

"But I'm stealing your stuff, too," she replied, failing at whispering in response.

He raised his eyebrows at her. "That's just because we let you, Parker."

She snorted. "You wish."

"Anyway," he said as her attention threatened to drift off again. "No stealing today. Just be a good bridesmaid. For Sophie, alright?"

Parker considered his words for a moment. Then she shrugged, sighing dramatically. "Okay, no stealing. I'll try."

The sparks didn't disappear though. Hoping to prevent her from giving in to her instinct, he gently shoved her in the opposite direction. "Go and see Sophie. She surely needs her bridesmaid now." He resisted the urge to smile at the bright grin she gave him in response before she turned around and headed off. Times had been so much easier when he had been immune to her beautiful smiles, which she didn't even use on him on purpose.

"It's like supervising a kid," he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Hardison grinned. "Wonder how many purses she manages to steal on her way to Sophie's room." He let his gaze wander through the hall. "Guess it's time for getting them in there, right?"

Eliot nodded. Patting the other man's shoulder, he added, "Good luck."

"What?" Hardison's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean, man? You won't help me with that?"

Not bothering to hide a grin, Eliot shrugged. "One of us should calm down Nate, right? What's the problem? You're just supposed to tell people where to sit. Is that too hard for you?"

"Oh please." Hardison rolled his eyes. "But why's it you taking care of Nate, huh? We're both best men after all!"

"It's you who loves to be the centre of attention."

"Yeah, great excuse. Very great excuse, man. Just leave me alone with hundreds of guests. Thanks, man!"

Eliot could physically feel the glare Hardison was giving him as he headed into the direction Parker had disappeared into. Arriving at Nate's room, he hesitated for a moment before he knocked. Not expecting to get an answer, he let himself in. Nate, facing him with his back, didn't bother to look up. Instinctively, Eliot scanned the room for any suspicious bottles. Indeed he found a bottle of Scotch, fortunately still full and obviously not used yet.

"Nate?" he asked, making another attempt at getting his friend's attention. "You ready? Hardison's getting the guests in. It's time."

Nate stood still, continuing to stare out of the large window in front of him. Quietly, Eliot made his way further into the room.

"Nate?" he repeated. "Are you okay?"

A sigh was the first response he got. "I thought it'd be easier the second time around," Nate admitted then.

"Isn't it?" Eliot wanted to know, stepping next to his friend. Having a clear view at the groom's face now, he could see an all too familiar expression in his eyes. Doubt. A brief rush of panic filled him. "You're not..."

"Planning to back out of this?" Nate finished. Just for a second, he looked up before he focused on the window again. "Do you really think I could do that to Sophie?"

Eliot shrugged. His briefly risen panic was replaced by a mild feeling of guilt. He hadn't left Aimee at the altar fortunately, but nevertheless he had been the one who had backed out of the engagement, and he couldn't blame her for marrying someone else instead. Nate was capable of making unexpected decisions as well: more than once, they had witnessed that. Leaving Sophie wasn't an option though. Still it was obvious that Nate had doubts.

"What's the problem, Nate?" he decided to ask then.

Nate didn't answer right away. His expression was saying more than words though. Doubts. Those were more than familiar to Eliot. Instantly, he had to think of Parker. Even if she knew, even if he was willing to admit to himself how much she really meant to him, and if she was feeling the same way, there would always be doubts. Was he the right one for her? Could he give her, such a complex woman with the biggest trust issues he had ever seen, what she needed, while he would forever have to deal with what he had done in the past?

"What's the problem?" he repeated. "You know what's ahead for you."

"Oh yeah, I do." A sigh escaped Nate. "I remember quite well how my first wedding went."

"You know that's not what I meant," Eliot replied. "Just because your first marriage failed doesn't mean same will happen with your second one. It's not like Sophie and Maggie really are alike, you know."

"And that makes the difference, yeah? That they're different?" Nate shook his head. "I'm still the man Maggie got divorced from. Still seeking for control more than anything, still threatening to..."

"Okay," Eliot interrupted, knowing perfectly well into which direction this conversation was going to head. "You're a horrible guy. Pity yourself. Go out that door, tell everyone you don't want to get married because you suck as a husband, and leave. Perfect plan, Nate- great idea to give up on this marriage before it even started."

"Says the right one," Nate answered quietly.

"Is this about me or you?" Eliot shot back. "What I did with my engagement is my thing. You don't know anything about my relationship with Aimee."

"But you know so much about me and Sophie?" Nate asked back.

"We all do! You've been on this pretty much right from the beginning. You were just too blind to see what you had in front of you. And don't pull the 'but she dated someone else' or 'she wanted to hook me up with a client card on me. Why do you think she did that, huh? If she didn't love you, I wonder why she put up with you and the shit you did at times. Why she tried to help you. She could have left your stubborn ass many times. I doubt you could be much worse than you've been back at the beginning, when you were drunk pretty much every fricking day! You didn't manage to scare her away back then, and she wasn't even together with you yet."

Again, Nate didn't bother to reply but stared ahead in silence. Once more, Eliot scanned the room for any evidence that the groom had been drinking, when an unexpected smirk lit Nate's face.

"I have to admit you're doing quite a good job," he said.

Eliot raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Good job with what?"

"With knocking some sense into me." Nate's smirk grew. "I knew you'd be a good best man."

"So that was just a test?"

Nate chuckled. "Maybe a little." He sighed again. "I meant it- I am scared that a marriage with Sophie will go downhill as well. There's a difference between being friends, being together, and being married after all."

"Not really." Eliot shrugged. "I still don't see how you should fuck up this. With Maggie...well, things were nice and shiny, right? Perfect little family until things got complicated. Times like that test a relationship. Some survive it, some don't. Sophie's seen you at your worst moments. She knew how to handle you even when I was close to beating you up because no one could deal with you anymore. How much worse could you get, Nate?"

Another chuckle escaped Nate. "For someone who's been a loner for so long, you know quite a lot about how relationships work, don't you?"

"I'm just doing my job. Seems like I'm the only sane person at this wedding. I'm babysitting Parker, motivating Hardison and preventing you from leaving your bride at the altar."

"That's something to be proud of," Nate replied with a wink.

"No, it's something that should make you guys question your sanity." He shook his head. "Anything else you need to get off your chest? Will you go with me or do I have to make you?"

"A little drink would be welcome." Nate laughed at the look he got in response.

"Get out that damn door already," Eliot ordered, just barely managing to stay serious himself. Much to his relief, Nate didn't argue with him this time.

* * *

The temptation to reach for people's purses was almost overwhelming Parker as she made her way to Sophie's room. It wasn't only the purses which were tempting, though. Even more she was drawn to the necklaces, watches and whatever else the guests had chosen to wear to show off.

A few years ago, Parker wouldn't have hesitated for a second to go after the objects of her longing. She had learnt quite a lot during those years though. Eliot's explanation made sense: one didn't steal stuff from their friends, at least not without giving it back.

The urge to get rid of her dress was almost as strong as the one to steal. Wearing a fancy dress for a con was bearable; she would get out of it sooner or later, and what happened to it didn't really matter.

This one though had been picked by Sophie, just for her, and Parker didn't even want to imagine how much such a dress cost. One could buy so many more useful items for this amount of money. Wearing something expensive like that meant she had to be careful and behave. Apart from that, she was entirely convinced that she looked absolutely silly. A light blue dress, slightly curly hair: that wasn't her. She had to look ridiculous.

Sighing in frustration, she pulled at the skirt of her dress for what felt like the hundredth time. Then she let herself into Sophie's room, not bothering to knock. If windows didn't stop her, why should doors?

She found Sophie standing in the middle of her room, spinning around with panic in her eyes, just to relax again as she noticed who had decided to pay her a visit. Parker froze in place as she took in the woman in front of her. She had seen Sophie in many different dresses, wearing for different roles. But never before, she had seen her dressed up like that.

"You look like a princess," she couldn't help but say.

A bright smile lit Sophie's face for a brief moment. Then, as she turned back to the mirror in front of her, the smile disappeared. Raising her eyebrows in confusion, Parker stepped closer. Her friend was bothered by something obviously, most likely was even nervous. She hesitated. What if Sophie chose to turn to her with that? To her of all people, who couldn't claim to be the best at giving advice?

"Are you nervous?" she carefully asked then. "You don't have to be, you look pretty." With a sigh, she added, "Much prettier than me."

Once again, Sophie tried to smile, but this time, it looked forced. "It's not about that." She paused before she turned around to her friend. "What if Nate changes his mind?"

"Changes his mind?" Parker raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know." Sophie shrugged. "You know Nate. He's unpredictable. He's been married before and it didn't work out. What if he realises he doesn't want to risk that again? A lot of people get cold feet right before a wedding."

"But Nate loves you, doesn't he?"

Sophie sighed deeply. "Sometimes, love isn't enough, Parker."

"But..." Parker hesitated. She had gotten herself into exactly the situation she had been afraid of. Sophie was troubled, obviously because she feared Nate would change his mind and leave her. Being left was an experience Parker was only too familiar with, and she understood why Sophie was so afraid of that.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to sort her thoughts. She was the bridesmaid. It was her job to offer support, no matter how bad she was at giving advice. There was a first for everything after all. She had learnt to play different roles, like Sophie. Certainly, she could learn to comfort people as well.

"I don't think you have to be scared," she started then, dearly hoping she would make sense enough to not worry her friend even more. "Remember when they robbed the bank in Texas and you and Nate were trapped in it? Hardison asked why Nate didn't just get out of there, but I knew he stayed because you were still inside."

Sophie's attention was focused on her now. Parker sighed inwardly as she realised her friend was waiting for her to continue, that her explanation obviously hadn't been good enough to bring her point across.

"I'm not something like a love expert," she said then. "But...if you and Nate aren't the right couple to get married, which one is?"

Parker's heart was pounding hard in her chest as she stared back at Sophie, dearly hoping she had been clearer this time. Feelings were complicated, and love was the most difficult one to understand for her. Things had been a lot easier when she had spent her time alone, had only depended on herself and cared for herself. Now she had found friends, and was experiencing feelings that were entirely new to her. She felt comfortable, welcome, felt protected and safe. Some of these feelings confused her, because she couldn't put a finger on what exactly they meant and what caused them. One fact she knew for sure though: she wanted to help Sophie, and she had reached the limit of what she could do.

Endlessly long minutes passed until a warm smile lit Sophie's face. "Thank you, Parker," she said.

A bright smile lit the blonde's face. "Besides," she added then. "If Nate wanted to leave you at the altar, I bet Eliot and Hardison would track him down and beat him up. Or I could taser him."

Much to Parker's delight, Sophie laughed at her words. Her friend was visibly relaxing now. She wasn't sure whether or not that had to do with what she had said, but the bride didn't look scared anymore. Nothing else matters.

"I'm going to get married," Sophie stated then, shaking her head. "Can you believe it?"

"Well, yes." Parker nodded. "That's why we're here after all." A little quieter, she added, "And why I have to wear this."

Sophie laughed again. "You look beautiful, Parker. Really beautiful, the dress suits you so well."

Making an uncomfortable face, Parker opened her mouth to reply, was interrupted by a knock on the door though. It was opened and Hardison's head peeked in.

"There's a room full of guests waiting for you, Sophie," he said. "Guess we should get the party started now."

Nodding, Sophie took a deep breath. Parker studied her carefully, but while her friend looked nervous again, she didn't spot any hints that could suggest she was worried again.

"Let's steal a groom?" she suggested. Smiling in response, Sophie followed her.

* * *

Nervously shifting from one foot to the other, Parker tightened her hands around Sophie's wedding bouquet which she was supposed to hold during the ceremony. Of course Nate hadn't backed out of the wedding. When she had arrived in the giant hall with the rows of benches, filled with people, the groom had been standing in front of the altar, waiting for his future wife.

Sophie's entrance had been as stunning and beautiful as she had planned. Everyone's attention had been entirely focussed on her as she had slowly made her way towards the altar. Parker was convinced that Nate's face perfectly mirrored her own whenever she was allowed to steal something sparkly for a job.

Then Sophie had started her marriage vow, and Parker's nervousness had returned. Such an open display of feelings still confused her, made her heart race in a strange way. Everyone listened closely and in awe to Sophie's gentle words as she promised to love Nate forever.

By the time her speech ended, first tears were rising in Sophie's eyes. Nate stared back at her in silence, with an expression Parker knew only too well. He was concentrating, maybe trying to remember what he was supposed to say now. Then he straightened himself and after an eternal moment of silence, he began to speak.

"Sophie," he started. Parker resisted the urge to release a chuckle at this single word. Most likely, she wasn't the only one who would have expected him to use her real name, but she had been Sophie for all of them for such a long time that using that name now just felt right. He paused for another brief moment before he continued.

"In fact, I had a perfectly worked out speech for this moment," Nate said. "But by now, you know me. I like to improvise. Standard sentences aren't right for a moment like this. Instead..." He hesitated. For a second, the hint of a smirk lit his face as he shook his head before he made eye contact with the bride again.

"The truth is, I'm incredibly scared, since the moment I proposed," he admitted. "Not because I'm afraid of marriage, of a wedding, despite what you might believe. No, I was afraid I could disappoint you. That I could ruin this marriage just like I ruined my first."

Instinctively, Parker's eyes darted over to Maggie. Sitting in the first row, Nate's ex-wife was watching the couple, with an expression that made clear how much she approved of the step he was about to make.

"I was afraid I could ruin what we have," he continued. "But then...well, I realised that I already did so much that could have scared you away, and yet you're still here with me. Things between us have never really been easy, including the day we met and the years that followed." The couple exchanged a knowing smile. "But that was nothing compared to what followed. I know I tested your patience more than once. You've seen me at my worst moments, and I doubt I have to remind you of those, because I know you're just thinking of them." His smile softened at the look Sophie gave him in response. "Things have never been easy, and I know I did a lot that could have just driven you away from me. I risked losing you more than once. But you never gave up on me. Since that day a few years ago when we...well, started to work together, you've been by my side. All the time, even when I've not been aware of it."

This time, Parker's attention briefly turned to Tara. Sitting next to Maggie, their former short time team member was watching Nate with a proud smile.

"You've always been there, have gone through all those ups and downs together with me," Nate said then. "I could count on you. The truth is, I know I can't fail as long as you're somewhere around me. And I know I should have told you much earlier that it's not just the team that needs you. It's me. I need you, Sophie, since that day we were reunited, I need you. I was so close to drifting in the wrong direction more than once. I made mistakes. But nothing I ever did was bad enough for you to give up on me, and I can't find enough words to thank you for that." He hesitated again, swallowing hard before he added, "I'm not good at such things, at admitting feelings. No one I know really is. But...one thing you can be entirely sure of: I love you, and that won't ever change. I need you, Sophie. I want to be with you, more than anything, and I dearly hope that I can give you something back for all those years you've been by my side and have given me the confidence that whatever I'd get myself into, I'd never be alone with it."

Nate's speech ended, but no one, not even Father Paul, dared to break the almost magical silence that was filling the hall. Fighting with the lump in her throat which made breathing almost impossible, Parker managed to see the tears that were rolling down Sophie's cheek, meeting the corners of her mouth that were curled up into the brightest smile she had ever seen. Then her own view turned foggy, and as the priest finally spoke again, the first tears started to fall.

Not for a second, Parker had doubted that these two would go through with their wedding, and especially Nate's words had proven her right. And as she tried to blink her tears away and smile at the same time, she noticed a feeling deep within her that confused her, that made her heart ache in a way she had never experienced in a way like this before.

The priest continued. She could hear Sophie and Nate answering his questions. Then the crowd cheered and she knew they had reached the point where the groom was allowed to kiss the bride. The ceremony was over. Through her tears-fogged eyes, she could see how Sophie took Nate's hand and they turned to head down the aisle again. On shaky legs, she tried to follow. A sigh of relief escaped her as she felt her hand grabbed. Linking her arm with Eliot's, she leant into him to steady herself and not trip.

"I can't see where I'm going," she whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll lead you," he whispered back. "Just try not to fall over your own feet in those shoes."

Nodding silently, she straightened herself and tried her best to focus enough so she could leave the hall more or less decently.

* * *

Thanks to Eliot's help, Parker made it safely into the dining hall. Her gratitude about finally being able to sit again was quickly replaced by annoyance, caused by the realisation that she would have enjoyed this wedding much more if there hadn't been so many guests around.

Those guests required the attention of the newly married couple, and expected speeches from the groom, bride, best men and also from her, the bridesmaid. Fortunately, said best men had written a speech for her, too. Quickly reading it out loud and congratulating Nate and Sophie wasn't too difficult after all.

Even more relieved she was though as plates filled with desirable food were delivered to their tables and the married couple could finally focus on those sitting at their table with them.

"That speech, Nate," Hardison started, resting a hand above his heart. "That was pure brilliance, man! You made me cry. Hell, you even made Eliot cry."

"Don't be stupid," was the response he got, along with a glare before Eliot added, "It was good though, Nate. Much better than what you had prepared."

"See, that happens when you allow yourself to show your feelings," Sophie said with a wink at her husband. "But Sophie? I was expecting you to use my real name."

"I thought that'd fit better," Nate answered. "Besides, I like the idea of keeping your real name a secret between the five of us."

"That's pretty romantic, Nate," Sophie replied. Looking up, she added, "What about you, Parker? Anything you'd like to say about the wedding?"

"Oh yes." She nodded. "This steak is really good. You should try it." She raised her eyebrows at the looks she received in return. "What?"

"I doubt that's what Sophie had in mind," Hardison whispered. "She was talking about the ceremony."

"Oh." Parker offered a quick smile before she shoved another piece of meat into her mouth. "It was good. Really...emotionally... good."

She nodded again before she turned her attention back to her plate. Her body stayed tensed until she couldn't feel the eyes of her friends resting on her anymore. She had expected her opinion would be asked for as well, despite hoping for the opposite. Of course there was a lot she had to say. For example that she had cried as well, that ever since she had listened to Nate's speech, ever since realisation of how deeply those two loved each other had sunk in, she was experiencing this odd feeling that didn't make sense to her. But even if she had wanted to, she had no idea how to voice such thoughts at all.

The conversation continued. Parker tried her best to participate at times, pretending to be focused on the plate in front of her for most of the time though. This time, she was almost grateful as the traditional part of the wedding continued and the married couple was asked to share the first dance on the giant dance floor in the middle of the dining room. Shortly after that, most of the other tables cleared as well, as the music sped up. Dearly hoping that no male guest would get the odd idea to invite her for a dance, she continued staring down at the tablecloth, playing with her fork.

"You can stop pretending like you're busy, they're all busy now."

Interrupted by Eliot's amused voice, Parker looked up. Feeling her cheeks heating up a little by the fact she had been caught, she straightened herself. "I'm not pretending anything," she stated.

"Of course you're not." He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "You're not the only one who's not much into events like weddings, trust me."

Parker shrugged. "They're okay. Could be worse." Her eyes darted towards the dance floor. Sophie and Nate seemed to have forgotten that other people surrounded them. So lost in their own little world she had never seen them before. Hardison had found himself a dance partner as well, obviously more than enjoying this activity.

Her eyes travelled further through the dining hall. In the distance, she briefly made eye contact with another man, but quickly looked away again in fear he could misunderstand her and decide to come over. Instead, her attention turned to the table next to theirs. Two women obviously weren't in dancing mood either, or hadn't found a partner yet. Parker doubted they would succeeded with that as their attention wasn't exactly focused on the partner-less men, except the one that was sitting at her own table. Quickly, Parker glanced into Eliot's direction to see if he had caught the women's glances yet before she focused back on the neighbour table.

Unconsciously, her hand tightened around her fork as she watched the women a little more closely. She knew this behaviour, and she hated it. It wasn't unusual that women tried to flirt with the male members of her team, even though Eliot seemed to be the only one who realised when this kind of attention was paid to him: Nate was usually too focused on Sophie and Hardison was too busy with himself to even notice, rather turning towards women that weren't interested in him.

There had been a time when Parker hadn't cared much about this habit of women either. Lately though, she had discovered a growing hate for flirty women, especially when those were trying to make Eliot notice them. This sight had started to cause a reaction that was new to her. Anger was burning deep within her like a blazing flame then. Sophie had once asked her about this reaction, just to state that she believed she was jealous. Parker had laughed at that, not seeing why she had any reason to be jealous in the first place.

The feeling kept on reappearing though. Grabbing her fork more firmly Parker took a deep breath to calm down the rising fire deep within her, to resist the urge to get up and stab those women with said fork.

"Are you alright?"

Once again interrupted in her thoughts by Eliot, Parker forced herself to turn around. "Yeah," she stated. "Just...frustrated."

"By what?" She could see he was trying his best not to laugh. "Still because of that poor dress?"

Parker sighed. "No. Well, yes, but...no. No, it's okay. I'm doing this for Sophie. Sophie wants me to look like a fluffy cloud, so I will look like a fluffy cloud."

"Like a what?" This time, he couldn't resist a grin. "You don't look like a fluffy cloud, Parker. That dress suits you quite well." He paused. "Then what's pissing you off? I'm worried you're going to break that fork."

She snorted, instantly reminded of the cause of her anger again. "Those stupid women at the neighbour table," she hissed. "They're getting on my nerves with the silly stuff they're doing. You think anyone would be mad if I accidentally stabbed them with a fork? Could happen, right?"

"You're not going to stab people at this wedding, Parker!" Eliot shook his head at her in disbelief. "Don't even think about it! Besides, what's the problem with them? They're not doing anything."

"No?" She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you see what they're doing? Being all flirty with you. You see what they're doing, how they're smiling." In a faked, high voice, she added, "Oh, look how pretty I am, and how I can flip my hair over my shoulder!"

"Seriously, Parker?" He couldn't help but laugh at her words. "So what? It's not like this never happened before."

"It's just...disgusting." Shuddering, Parker threw a hateful look into the direction of the neighbour table. "I could also just toss my fork over to them and hide under the table really quickly. They might not even realise it was me..."

"Okay, stop," Eliot interrupted her. "No more stabbing fantasies, alright? Let's just..." He hesitated, studying her for a moment before he sighed and added, "Why don't you share a dance with me?"

"What?" Staring at him dumbfounded, Parker shook her head. "I don't dance. I can't even dance. At all."

"I'm sure you can." He moved to get up, then offered his hand to her. "Come on."

"But...I thought you hate such stuff, too."

He sighed again. "It's better than you stabbing innocent people," he said. "Now get up already."

"But I really can't dance." Hesitantly, she took his hand and carefully got up. "I'll totally embarrass Nate and Sophie and, even worse, myself!"

"Don't worry, it's the man who leads, not the woman," Eliot assured her.

"So you can actually dance?" she wanted to know.

He grinned in response. "It's mandatory for a man. Unlike you, most women like to share a good dance at times. It's good if you know what you're doing by then."

"Fantastic." Still not entirely satisfied, but, to her surprise, less frustrated, she followed him towards the dance floor.

"You trust me?" he asked as he made them stop.

"Yes," she answered. "But..."

"Yes or not?" Eliot interrupted her.

"Yes!"

"Good. Then relax. Just do what the others are doing."

With those words, he rested one hand on her lower back and pulled her closer. Hesitantly, she did like he told her and a moment later, he was leading her across the dance floor. The first fear of tripping or doing anything else silly started to fade away with the time. So did the anger, caused by the flirting women, which she had almost forgotten about in concentration.

"See? It's not that hard," Eliot said after a while.

"You're not that bad at this," she admitted. "But can all men dance, because they want to impress women with that?"

"It obviously does count for Hardison as well." Eliot nodded his head towards the other side of the room. "He found himself the woman a few songs ago, and so far it doesn't seem like he did anything that could scare her away."

Parker smiled at the sight. "He looks happy," she said. "She's pretty. And she can dance, too."

"So can you," he assured her. "Look, so far, you didn't trip. That's a good start."

She raised an eyebrow at her. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"Would I ever?" He winked at her. "Now relax a little. See? The music is slowing down. That's even easier."

Doing like she had been told earlier, Parker watched the other couples. Grateful that obviously she didn't have to move around so much anymore, she leant further into Eliot.

"Just relax," he repeated, barely audible this time.

And relaxing Parker did. Within seconds, the room with all these other guests that had annoyed her at first seemed to be miles away. Although her heart had started to pound hard in her chest, the rest of her body felt enjoyably light, as if her feet were no longer touching the ground. Instinctively, tightening her grip on his shoulder, she rested her head against it. A sudden warmth was starting to build deep within her, spreading into every inch of her body. Closing her eyes, she tried to block everything else out to give in completely to this unexpected experience.

Until he pulled her closer, just a tiny bit. But said bit was enough to make her shudder. Shivering lightly, she allowed herself to give in to all those new, strange sensations that were so alluring, that made her wish that this moment could continue forever.

Parker didn't realise the song had stopped, had been followed by a new, faster one until Eliot made them stop. She pulled back as his grip around her loosened. As her eyes met his again, she shook at the gaze she was receiving in response. She had caught him looking at her like that a couple of times before, but never had it felt like this.

"Think I'll go catch some fresh air," he mumbled then and before she got the chance, Eliot was making his way across the dance floor. Still frozen in place, Parker watched him until he had disappeared through one of the large glass doors that led into the manor's backyard.

* * *

Although his opinion of weddings wasn't the best, Hardison couldn't deny he liked the parties. A lot. Unlike Parker and Eliot, he had been excited when Sophie had announced how long the list of invited guests really had been. A lot of female names had been on it. Maybe this would be a chance. There had to be at least one whose attention he could catch.

He had been right. Already before the ceremony, he had spotted her. Sarah, a stunning, beautiful woman, around his age, and obviously he hadn't escape her notice either. Trying every trick in the book he knew, he had tried to intensify her interest in him.

His attempts had been rather successful. He had only needed to give himself a tiny motivational kick when other couples had started to join Nate and Sophie on the dance floor. A cocky smirk, a wink and an offered hand, and Sarah had agreed to share a dance or two with him.

For him, the party couldn't have turned into a better direction. Sarah wasn't just interested in what he had to tell, she even knew great stories herself. He knew: if he did it right and didn't ruin it by going too far too fast, this day could turn into a major success for him.

And then, in the corner of his eyes, something else had caught his attention. The fact that either Parker or Eliot had convinced the other to join the dancing guests had been enough of a surprise already, which he hadn't paid much attention to. The way they had split up after a shared dance though was a different story though.

"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Hardison asked, while already wondering which of the two to follow first. Convinced that most likely, Parker wouldn't really be able to explain what exactly had happened, he headed for the closed glass door. Noticing that Eliot hadn't gone far and was now sitting on the stairs that led up to the terrace, he sighed inwardly. A fight between those two was definitely not what the wedding of their Nate and Sophie needed, especially as both could have quite a high temper. He hesitated for another brief moment before he closed the door behind him and joined his friend in the fading light of dusk.

"You know everyone's still inside, yeah?" he decided to say.

"Unfortunately not," was the quiet response he got.

"Thanks, man, I love you, too." Hardison shook his head. Approaching Eliot when he was in such a mood usually wasn't a wise idea. If said mood threatened to ruin a wedding though, he didn't really have a choice. Sighing deeply, he let himself drop onto the stony surface of the stairs beside his friend. "What's the matter, huh?"

"Nothing." Not bothering to look up, Eliot continued to stare blankly at some random spot in front of him.

"Yeah, you're the definition of a happy man." Hardison rolled his eyes. "What happened? You and Parker had a fight?"

"No, we did not." Eliot flashed him a frustrated glare. "Just shut up, Hardison. What happened to that girl you were with, she already had enough of you?"

"Hey, don't unload your shitty mood on me, man," Hardison shot back. "If you don't want to talk about it, fine, but don't ruin the wedding with your lousy mood."

"That's why I'm out here, right?" he hissed back.

"Yeah, and Parker went upstairs," Hardison replied. "You don't think that somewhere along the line, Nate and Sophie will go looking for you?" He sighed again. "Listen, man, if you and she had a fight..."

"We didn't have a fight!" Eliot interrupted him firmly. "I wish it was that damn easy!"

"Then what the hell happened?" Hardison asked back, slowly getting desperate with his friend's stubbornness. "And don't say nothing! That's not nothing, man! Tell me what happened. You know I won't leave anyway, and I know you won't beat me up, so you could save both of us the trouble and just go for it."

"You're sure I won't beat you up, Hardison?" Eliot wanted to know, offering another glare. Before Hardison got a chance to reply though, his facial expression changed again. His entire body tensed as he was struggling with himself.

"You trust me, don't you?" Hardison decided to ask. "Look, it was me you took with you when we went to Moreau, because you wanted me to know about all that stuff first."

"You were just the easiest to handle," Eliot stated.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself, man." Hardison shook his head. "Come on, what happened? If it wasn't a fight, what did you do?"

"It's complicated, alright?" It was Eliot's turn to sigh. "I...should've never let it get that far. I should've seen it coming."

"Should've seen what coming?"

"That...I'd like her," he said. "Too much."

"Too much?" Hardison raised his eyebrows questioningly. Then realisation hit him. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh." He looked up again. "I fucked up, Hardison. Big time."

"Why? It's not your fault you're falling for her." Hardison shrugged. "It happens to the best of us."

"But that's Parker of all people!" Groaning in frustration, Eliot buried his face in his hands. "I didn't expect she'd ever even interest me in such a way. I wasn't prepared for that. I only noticed what was going on when it was already too late. And what do I do? Instead of keeping a distance between us, I do what? Dance with her. Like that. I almost lost it! I was this close to just grabbing her and kissing her!"

"And where would the problem have been?"

"It's Parker!" By this time, it was Eliot who was getting desperate at Hardison's lack of understanding of his problem. "Remember? The one who never learnt to interact with people, who panics when people get too close to her. The one who has the biggest trust issues I've ever seen. The one who knows everything about me!"

"So what?" Hardison asked back before he could stop himself. At Eliot's disbelieving look, he shrugged again. "What do you really want, man? Someone like your ex? Didn't work out either, remember?"

"I don't want something like that at all!" he hissed back. "It's just...complicated. It messes everything up. It's not like we're Nate and Sophie. Their feelings are mutual. They're made for each other."

"So what?" Hardison asked. "That stuff's complicated, but it doesn't really seem like you can decide who you fall for, right? Besides, how do you want to know if the feelings aren't mutual. And don't say 'it's Parker' again. I do think she's capable of such feelings. After all, she's also capable of making friends."

"Even if, it'd never work out." Eliot shook his head in frustration. "She's complicated, she needs someone stable in her life. Someone who can help her to get over her trust issues. And apart from that, she knows too much about me."

Staring at the man sitting next to him, Hardison couldn't help but regret that he had left the dining room in the first place. Getting through to Eliot was even harder than he had expected. After all, he wasn't an expert when it came to relationships either, mainly because so far, he hadn't really had time for them, or had found the right woman to have a decent one. Nate would know what to say. But Nate was celebrating his wedding with Sophie. It was him who had to jump in this time, and Hardison dearly hoped he would make enough sense to not mess up even more.

"Listen, man," he started then, deciding that most likely, he couldn't confuse his friends even more. "You're just making things complicated. You think she needs someone who can handle her and can help her with those trust issues? Who'd be better for that than someone she already knows? Someone she trusts in? And she does trust in you, you know that. She said so. You ever noticed that she never tried to stab you with a fork yet when you're getting near her? You remember how many times she put her safety in your hands, although she of all people prefers to take care of that herself? Doubt she'd do that if she didn't trust you, maybe more than anyone else of us. And although she knows all that stuff about you, by the way, it didn't make her run for the hills, right?" He released another light sigh. "See, man, I guess if anyone can handle her, it's you. Some stable, boring stranger would probably run from her because he wouldn't understand her. Would just think she's a crazy weirdo."

"Because that's what she is," Eliot replied with the hint of a smile, much to Hardison's surprise.

"Yeah, but either you're into crazy women or you've realised that there's more to her than her craziness," he said. "Otherwise you'd have not fallen for her. Not that hard anyway. 'Cause you must have fallen hard for her if it's bugging you that much."

"Thanks for the analysis, Hardison," Eliot stated sarcastically. The look he gave him though revealed that obviously, he hadn't done as much of a bad job as he had expected. "And what does the wise man advise me to do now?"

Hardison shrugged. "Go up there and tell her."

"Are you kidding me?" The glare returned as Eliot added, "There, one sentence and you fucked it all up again."

"Why?" Hardison asked back. "What's your alternative, man? Continuing to dance around her, hiding what's up with the two of you? Be honest to her. Could turn out a little complicated if she doesn't get it, but at least it's out of the way then. A couple of weeks or months and things'll be back to normal. More or less."

"You know, such confessions at the wrong moment can ruin entire friendships, right?" Eliot narrowed his eyes at him.

Hardison rolled his eyes. "Yeah, even I know that, man. But trying to avoid her will do the job, too. Or do you plan on being around her like usual? How are you going to handle it? One day, you won't be able to resist anymore. You'll do something silly like kissing her out of nowhere because you can't handle it any longer, and then she'll know anyway. So why not tell her now and get it over with? What can happen? Either she feels the same way, or she's confused, or she doesn't feel the same way? All of that is better than doing nothing, man."

"Easy to say if you're not the one who has to do it," Eliot replied.

Once again, Hardison shrugged. "Sucks when you're not as stony-hearted as you thought, huh?" He grinned as Eliot couldn't suppress a smile of his own. "Don't you worry so much, man. You won't fuck it up. Tell her the truth. Imagine you'd start to avoid her someday. You don't think that'd hurt her? Get your ass upstairs and tell her, or I'll do it."

"You won't."

"No? How are you going to stop me, huh?" Hardison's grin widened. "We both know you'd never hurt anyone of us, myself included."

"Don't be so sure about that," Eliot replied with a playful glare. "Alright, I'll do it. If I fuck it up, you'll pay, Hardison." He sighed. "Thing were so much easier when I didn't have to deal with those crappy feelings. It was bad enough to be in love once. I didn't plan on this to ever happen again."

"Poor you for not being able to control your own feelings. This is what happens when you can't solve a problem through punching it for once, huh?" Hardison laughed at the look he got in response. "Get upstairs now, man."

Not bothering to reply this time, Eliot got up. To make sure his friend really listened to their agreement, Hardison followed him into the dining room. With a satisfied grin, he watched Eliot as he kept his promise and headed upstairs.

* * *

Parker was glad that the rooms upstairs were all abandoned: after all, who wanted to spend a wedding party up here? For her, the quiet that greeted her as she entered one of the rooms was more than welcome though. Her mind was spinning, which was bad enough. She didn't have to be around loud party guest. Or flirty women.

She shuddered at the thought, briefly feeling her anger return as she remembered how obvious they had been. Why was it so important to women to catch a man's attention? Especially in a silly way like that? And, even more important, why did men like women that knew how to flip their hair over their shoulder?

Sighing deeply, she stepped over to the nearest window. The sun was slowly setting, disappearing behind the tall trees, darkening everywhere in the large backyard. Parker had loved those the most when Sophie and Nate had shown them around the location for their wedding. Tall trees. They counted to the few good memories she linked with her past. In such trees, someone could hide for hours without anyone being aware of it.

Maybe she should have headed to one of those trees instead? But that meant she had to leave her current hiding place again, and then there would be the risk of running into someone she knew: someone who could ask questions. Or the person she was running from in the first place.

Another sigh left her lips. Parker was convinced Eliot believed she was even more crazy after her sudden escape. She knew running was never a solution, especially as she had to face him again sooner or later. But at this moment, she simply hadn't been able to help herself.

What was happening to her? The more she was thinking about it, the more she was starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, Sophie was right: she was jealous. She didn't want women to try and catch Eliot's attention. Because she wanted said attention to be paid to her. She wanted to be the one he'd look at, he'd talk to, who he'd smile at and offer a drink to. She wanted him to make her feel the way he had when they had shared this dance, when he had held her so close.

It had seemed like she had briefly disappeared into a new world, far away from everything she knew. The way he had held her had felt so good. She had wished this moment could last forever. The change of music had roughly pulled her back to reality, but even then, the feelings had still been there, along with another urge, that had surprised her even more.

What was going on? Had things between them changed so much? Parker wasn't surprised she hadn't noticed those changes earlier. She wasn't experienced when it came to relationships. Not at all. Reading people and understanding how their minds worked was complicated enough, but being involved with them? She had never been interested in that. Until now.

A knocking at the room's door startled her. Before she got a chance to respond though, it was already opened quietly. Turning around, Parker froze in place. Maybe she should have really considered the trees.

"May I come in?" Eliot wanted to know. The setting sun offered just enough light so that she could still make out his face. He looked as hesitant as she felt like. At her brief nod, he entered the room completely and closed the door again. Slowly, he made his way over to her.

"I'm sorry I ran away," Parker blurted out before she could stop herself. She hoped the dimmed light in the room would hide the fact she was slightly blushing. Why couldn't she just keep some stuff inside at times?

"Well, I kinda ran away myself," Eliot stated then. He didn't look as embarrassed as she felt, though. Instead, she noticed something else in his eyes. He might have seemed to be hesitant at first, but she was sure he was determined as well. Determined to do what?

"Why'd you run?" she wanted to know.

He shrugged. "Guess because I wanted to prevent myself from...doing something I believed could be wrong." He paused. "Why'd you run?"

"I'm confused," was all she managed to say.

Eliot nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling. What's confusing you?"

"That's two questions in a row!" Parker shot back.

This time, he smiled: just a little bit, but the smile still had an effect on her. It wasn't a new experience, that was for sure. But now, for the first time, she understood what it meant.

"Things have changed, haven't they?" she decided to ask then.

He nodded again. "Yeah, I guess so. You think that's bad? Or good?"

"I don't know."

That was a lie, but even if Parker had wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to admit what she was really thinking. Yes, he had noticed that something was changing. Yes, there had been some kind of tension between them earlier, which both of them had been aware of. What he really thought of that though: how was she supposed to know?

In silence, she watched as Eliot stepped closer. Her eyes met his, and for a moment she wished she had learnt more from Sophie, had paid a little more attention to her lectures. Maybe then, she would be able to read his mind and figure out what he was currently thinking. Maybe then, she could prepare herself for whatever reaction would be required.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" he asked quietly. "To give the wrong answer. It's easier to play the ball back, and see what the other one's thinking first, right?"

She could only nod in response. Parker didn't know how such situations worked. She only knew that giving the wrong answer to his question could hurt: either her or him, or both of them. She also knew that unrequited feelings could complicate things: Sophie had talked to her about that more than once. Parker hadn't forgotten all those times her friend had told her about how difficult things with Nate had been all the time, until they had finally kissed and later ended up in bed with each other. Sophie had said that feelings which weren't mutual could ruin a good friendship, could create a horrible awkwardness. Were the two of them at the edge of ruining their friendship now?

Still unable to reply, Parker stared back at Eliot, trying her best to read in his eyes. He looked like he was debating with himself until he straightened decisively. It seemed like he had suddenly realised something that had helped him to make a decision. The hint of a smile lit his face as he stepped closer again.

"You know, of course I could be wrong," he said, his voice not more than a whisper now. "But no answer is an answer as well. Most of the time, our first instinct is to protect ourselves. So instead of saying what we're really thinking and by that making ourselves vulnerable, we say nothing and wait. You could've just told me if you believed it was a bad thing. Could've said we should just ignore this and stay friends because the friendship is all that matters. But you didn't say that."

Parker couldn't prevent her eyes from widening at his words. She resisted the urge to ask him if he was psychic and had managed to read her mind. Nate wasn't the only one who had tried to make her understand that people didn't have the gift to read minds. No one did, the man in front of her included. Her heart was hammering hard in her chest as she stared back at him. Only inches were separating them now. She could feel his warm breath tickling on her face again. Like earlier. And, like earlier, she could feel the tension again: a tension that was so overwhelming, so intense that it made her breathless in return.

"There's no need to worry though," he said eventually. "Because I agree with you."

And before Parker could react in any way, Eliot closed the last bit of distance between them and kissed her. It was a hesitant kiss at first, allowing her to get over the shock caused by this unexpected gesture.

It didn't take her long though. All the feelings she had experienced earlier rushed back, along with new ones, caused by the sensation of his lips pressed against hers. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in further as she kissed him back. Soon, the world around them was forgotten once again as all that mattered was the heated kiss she had secretly been longing for such a long time already.

* * *

Sitting at one of the tables again, Hardison was watching the party with a broad smile plastered across his face. Sarah was busy with talking to a friend, throwing long glances into his direction, which he would answer with a wink.

Things were good. Very good. Nate and Sophie had never looked that happy before. Or that relaxed. Hardison hadn't forgotten how stressful preparing the wedding had been for all of them, but especially for the couple. Somewhere along the line, he had seriously wondered if all the effort was really worth it.

Obviously it was. They were married now. Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Ford. A chuckle escaped him as he shook his head. That there was something going on between Nate and Sophie had been clear right from the beginning. That they would eventually get together and get married though had been a different story.

Hardison's smile widened at the realisation that two other certain team mates hadn't returned to the party yet. He had helped his friend find Parker's location and had made sure Eliot would really go and talk to her.

Half an hour had passed since then, and in Hardison's eyes, that was a good sign. He had sneaked up to the door in question a bit ago, but hadn't heard any arguing from inside. He hadn't heard any talking either, and had firmly refused to imagine what those two could be doing in there instead. But chances were very high that they had finally sorted things out and realised that what they really wanted was clearly each other.

Leaning back in his chair, Hardison took another sip of his drink. He truly wished that things could always work out this easily. Still with a smile, he took in the other guests.

Unfortunately, said smile eventually disappeared again as he noticed something he had obviously missed before. He had paid attention to the arriving guests. The problem was that while everyone had their seats earlier, now, everyone could easily sneak in and disappear between the large number of guests.

Exactly that had obviously happened, so Hardison thought as he focused his attention on three men in particular. Said men were dressed up like everyone else. It was their body language that was giving them away though. During the last couple of years, he had learnt enough from jobs to recognize people that meant trouble, and those three were basically screaming trouble.

Groaning deeply, Hardison got up. Mentally, he shook his head at himself. Who had he tried to fool? Of course someone would try to mess with a perfect wedding. It was almost a given. Throwing another quick glance at the men in question, he got up and hurried upstairs.

* * *

Interacting with women had never been a problem for Eliot. Letting Parker know that his feelings towards her had changed was a different story though. He knew very well know complicated a friendship could get if feelings weren't mutual. To make it worse: this was Parker of all people. Parker, the woman who wasn't the best when it came to handling or understanding feelings.

Even though he would never admit it openly, Eliot couldn't deny that for once, Hardison had been right. Simply going for it had turned out to be the best option. Because eventually, he had realised that indeed, she was having feelings for him as well.

Obviously, he hadn't been the only one who had been nervous because of this confrontation though. He had felt that Parker had been afraid and confused, thanks to the realisation that things between them had changed. Her reactions had eventually answered all open questions for him.

Eliot couldn't tell how long he and Parker had been hiding in the small room upstairs and he couldn't have cared less. Too lost, he was in the sensation of kissing her, amazed by how much he had truly been longing for this experience.

Yes, things had changed, but sometimes, changes were good. The tension between was no longer something he had to ignore, he had to deny. He could react to it, knowing she was feeling the same way about it.

It was a firm knocking at the room's door that eventually interrupted them. For a second, Eliot believed he had to be imagining this sound. After all, who would decide to go upstairs and knock on doors during a wedding party? There was only one person who knew the two of them were up here, and said person certainly wouldn't dare to interrupt.

His theory was proven wrong as an all too familiar voice said, "I know you two are probably going to kill me, but...I wouldn't be interrupting if it wasn't important. We got problems, guys."

Eliot didn't bother to hold back his frustrated groan. Briefly, he exchanged a glance with Parker. Even in the dimmed light of the room, he could see the sparks in her eyes, and an expression that made him shudder. It seemed like he could still feel her heated lips pressed against his, in a deep, passionate kiss, while her arms were tightly wrapped around his neck. She didn't seem to be pleased either.

"I swear, if you don't have a good excuse," he shouted back then. Firmly, he pushed the door open, greeting a nervous Hardison with an angry glare.

"Someone planning to ruin the wedding is good enough?" Hardison wanted to know, cautiously making a step backwards.

"What?" Parker, appearing behind Eliot, asked back. "Someone's going to mess up the wedding?"

Hardison nodded. "I think so, yeah." He took a deep breath. "Seems like some bad guys managed to sneak in during the party, man. You know, the kind with the black suits and cautious looks. I swear, they're planning something bad." He shrugged. "Seriously, guys, I wouldn't have come if I wasn't sure they mean trouble. This is Nate's and Sophie's wedding. Remember how much time they invested in planning that thing. Not to mention what it means to them that the day's going to be perfect. Don't think some suspicious guys should mess with it."

"Of course not." Eliot sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. It was one single, well-planned day that was supposed to turn out perfect. Was that too much to ask for? It seemed like that. If Eliot was honest to himself, he wasn't too surprised by the fact that somewhere along the line, something like that would happen. Even normal weddings sometimes got complicated, because at least one guest always found a way to cause trouble. Nate and Sophie weren't normal people though. Same counted for them. Out there were enough people, who would only wait for a chance to pay them back for messing with their plans.

Was there a better moment for that than a wedding? Surely not. There was a reason why they had kept the whole event a secret and had only revealed it to those invited. There was also a reason why they had picked this manor, far away from the next city, making sure that no one would just walk up and disturb them. Obviously, those people had still managed to find a way in.

"What are we going to do now?" Parker wanted to know. "Shouldn't we tell Nate and Sophie?"

Eliot shook his head. "No. It's their wedding after all. It'll ruin the whole thing for them. We shouldn't tell them."

"And what should we do instead?" Hardison asked. "Just take them down? Sure, you could knock them out, but who knows what they've really planned?"

"Why don't we start with you showing us those guys?" Eliot asked back.

Without a further comment, Hardison led them downstairs. Stopping at the bottom, he pointed in the direction in question. "You see those guys over there? The one at the table, and those other two over there? Look pretty suspicious to me."

Eliot just nodded in response. There was no way to deny the hacker was right. Those men were up to no good. Neither of them looked familiar though.

Parker snorted. "They're pretty obvious, huh? Don't look professional to me. I doubt they can handle a whole room full of wedding guests, along with us."

"Which makes them even more dangerous," Eliot replied. "Yeah, they do look unprofessional indeed. But whoever sent them in doesn't want them to mess with us personally. There's even the chance they were just sent in to distract us from the real trouble."

"What do you have in mind?" Hardison wanted to know.

"I'd like to know that, too," another voice said before Eliot got the chance to answer. The three spun around, finding themselves facing a curious Captain Bonanno.

"Oh...Captain..." Hardison spoke up, his voice trailing off again as he stared at the man with huge eyes.

Bonanno smiled. "There's one thing you learn first as a cop," he said. "How to read people's body language. Helps you to identify the liars. Or to see when trouble's ahead. The three of you..." He gave them a thoughtful look. "What happened? Anything I can help with?"

"Um..." Hardison looked even more uncomfortable, exchanging a hesitant look with the others.

"Is this a trap?" Parker spoke out what the hacker was thinking, earning a shocked look from him.

Bonanno chuckled. "Certainly not. Nate Ford invited me to his wedding. We've met a few times before. We're basically working together for years now. Officially or not doesn't matter. You look worried. If that means the man's wedding is in danger, I'm more than willing to offer my help."

Studying the man in silence, Eliot considered the offer for a moment. It didn't surprise him the man had picked up on their behaviour. So many times in the past, they had helped each other out. Bonanno had been the man they could turn to when blowing up a bad man's cover and were in need of the police taking care of the rest. He knew very well that Bonanno was interested in them, and even though he let them go on with their business, he kept a close eye on them.

"Seems like someone's planning to cause trouble," he said eventually. At the looks he received from Hardison and Parker, he added, "What? We want to keep this away from Nate and Sophie, right? Means we have to work fast and quiet. Every helping hand is needed."

Hardison still didn't seem to be entirely convinced. "What's this going to be? A new job, with Nate and Sophie as the clients? You got a plan already, mastermind?"

"It's you who came to us because of those guys, didn't you?" Eliot shot back. "And no, I do not have a plan yet. But one thing's clear, isn't it? We have to find out what those guys are up to. Like I said, I doubt they are the ones we've got to worry about. Even you could take them out if you wanted to. There's something else going on, and we have to find out what."

"Leave that to me," Parker interrupted him. At the looks the men gave her in response, she straightened herself. "What? This is Nate's and Sophie's wedding. Sophie said she wants it to be the most beautiful day in her life. You think I'm going to let them ruin that for her?" She ran a hand through her hair and fixed her dress before she added, "Think I look good?"

"Well...yeah." Hardison raised his eyebrows at her.

Parker smirked satisfied. "Good. You got an earbud for me? Surely have some with you, don't you?" As he wordlessly handed one to her, she put it in. With a grin, she added, "Wish me luck" and without further hesitation, she made her way through the well-crowded room, towards the single man, sitting at one of the tables.

"What the...am I just imagining that?" Hardison shook his head in disbelief. "Is that Parker, offering to...approach a mark and... get information from him?"

Eliot didn't answer. He wasn't too surprised by Parker's behaviour. Interacting with marks or clients was still Parker's least favourite part of jobs. This wasn't an ordinary one though, with clients neither of them knew personally. This was about Nate and Sophie: two of the people she loved the most. Parker was a loyal woman; she had proven that more than once in the past. And loyalty could increase one's courage immensely.

"You got some more of those?" Bonanno asked then. At Hardison's look, he rolled his eyes. "Please, do you think I'm not aware of the fact that quite a lot of what you guys are doing isn't exactly...allowed that way? Just try not to openly break the law right in front of me, and we're going to be fine."

Finally convinced, Hardison nodded, handing out the other earbuds he had been carrying with himself. Instantly, they were greeted by Parker's voice. By now, she had joined the man at his table, had sat down across of him and had involved him in a conversation.

"Quite a nice party, isn't it?" she wanted to know, crossing her legs as she leant back in her chair. "I could be dancing all day long, but everyone needs a break once in a while right?" Laughing, she threw her hair over her shoulder, making Eliot mentally roll his eyes.

"Where did she get that from?" Hardison asked.

"You don't want to know," he replied, shaking his head. At least those flirting women from earlier had been good for something.

"She's not bad," Bonanno said. "I guess she learnt from the best." He paused before he added, "I fairly doubt she can talk this man into giving her the information we need though."

"She doesn't have to," Eliot answered. "Parker, listen up. You're doing a good job. Try to talk him into going upstairs with you. That room you went to earlier, okay? We're going to wait for you in there."

Parker gave a barely visible nod in response.

"What do you have in mind now?" Hardison asked as the men headed upstairs. "Hey, man, you ain't Nate, right? You know, not sharing the plan with us and all. What'd you have in mind?"

"How about you wait and see?" Eliot asked back. He pushed him into the room he and Parker had been hiding in from the others just a few minutes ago. "Leave this part of the plan to me, okay?"

Hardison didn't seem to be too pleased by this answer, stayed quiet though. In silence, the men listened to Parker's attempts at pulling her mark's attention towards her. The fact that her plan was working so well was another proof for the fact that those people weren't the real danger in Eliot's eyes. No professional would allow themselves to get distracted that easily.

Parker needed ten more minutes of talking and attempts at flirting until the man agreed to follow her upstairs, for a little private conversation, like she had called it. Mentally, Eliot rolled his eyes at the mark. It was almost offending how careless the man was, how easily he gave up his location at the table, in the middle of the crowd of party guests. It also made him even more nervous regarding the man behind the scenes and whatever he really could have planned to ruin the wedding.

"No one says a word," he whispered as they could hear Parker and the man making their way up the stairs, throwing a warning glance into Hardison's direction. "Leave the talking to me."

Not waiting for nods in response, Eliot focused his attention back on the door. Parker had barely opened it when he jumped forward. The man didn't get a chance to react as Eliot had already grabbed him and firmly pushed into the nearest wall.

"Surprised?" he asked. "How many jobs have you done before, huh? First time? Going upstairs with the girl while you're supposed to get a job done is a pretty bad mistake, you know?"

"What do you want?" the man managed to gasp, making a weak attempt at freeing himself.

"What do you think?" Eliot asked back. "You and your friends have been quite obvious, you know? Another mistake you can add to the list. If I was you, I'd answer my questions as detailed as you can."

"And what if I won't?" the man growled back.

Hardison laughed. "You don't want to know, man."

"He's right," Eliot answered. "You don't want to know. You need me to be more convincing, or will you give us what we want?" His grip tightened around one of the man's arms. Slowly, he twisted it a little more, just enough to make him wince at the sudden pain, caused by this action.

"Fine!" the mark hissed back. "I don't know much anyway!"

"Well, we'll see about that," Eliot replied. "First question: who sent you?"

"How am I supposed to know?" the man asked back. "That guy was pretty discrete! Just offered the job, told us what to do and..." His voice trailed off in a yelp of pain.

"That was a lie," Eliot hissed into his ear. "Try again. Who hired you?"

"Fine!" the man shouted back. "Guy said he's been working at a prison once! He's pissed off because he ended up in jail himself thanks to Nate Ford and his people!"

"The man's name wasn't coincidentally Adam Worth?" Bonanno wanted to know.

"Maybe," the man answered. "I don't know more about him, I swear!"

"Then why don't you tell us what you're supposed to do," Eliot said firmly. "Certainly not kidnap the groom and bride, huh?"

The man shook his head. "No... no. One of us was just supposed to hide it, while the others were trying to distract the rest of the team."

"Hide what?" Once again, Eliot tightened his grip on the man. "Hide what?!"

"The bomb!" the man shouted back. "It's a bomb! We were supposed to hide it in here, and then distract the team a bit so they won't find it. We were supposed to leave shortly before the thing would go up!"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Eliot took a deep breath to fight down the rush of adrenaline he felt at the man's words. The gasps of the others didn't help much.

"A...what?" Hardison asked disbelieving. "You hid a damn...bomb in this building?!"

"Where is it?" Eliot wanted to know.

"I don't know! I really don't!" the man explained. Once again, he yelled as Eliot twisted his arm around even further.

"Stop lying!" shouted. "Where is the damn thing?!"

"In the room next door!" the man screamed back. "It's in the room next door! I swear I don't know more!"

"Good for you," Eliot growled back. The man sighed in relief as his hands were released, just to find himself being knocked unconscious a second later.

"What a mess!" Parker shook her head in disbelief. "He's hiring these idiots to distract us, and hide a bomb in here to blow up the manor? For real?"

"We have to get everyone out of here," Bonanno state, reaching for his phone. "I'm calling for back up."

"Yeah, and what if the bomb goes up in a minute?" Eliot asked back. "We don't know how much damage it'll do either. If we tell people to go, they might panic and only make it worse."

"And what do you want us to do instead?" Hardison wanted to know. "Leave everyone inside?!"

"No, of course not!" Taking a deep breath, Eliot closed his eyes again, forcing himself to sort his thoughts. For a second, he felt sorry for Nate: he had stopped counting how many times their mastermind had already been in exactly this situation before. They needed a last minute plan that was supposed to rescue the day, and obviously it was his job to come up with one now.

"You're going to lure them out instead," he said then. "Hardison, lure them out of the manor, because of...whatever. Think of something."

"Think of something?" Hardison asked back. "Think of something?!"

Ignoring the comment, Eliot continued, "Captain Bonanno, we need someone who makes sure those other two guys won't run away, or right go back to Worth. If you..."

"I think I can handle those two on my own," Bonanno said with a wink. "It'll be my pleasure."

Eliot nodded satisfied. "Good. And I'll go looking for the bomb."

"You mean you and I, right?" Parker wanted to know.

"No, I was talking about just me," Eliot said. "You're going to help Hardison."

"No!" she answered firmly. "First of all, you're not going to play with the bomb all alone, you got me? And second, I know a lot about bombs, too. I work with explosive stuff and blow up things, remember? You seriously think you should let me go with Hardison?!"

Eliot sighed in response. He couldn't deny Parker was right. If there was someone who knew how to help him with a bomb, it was her. The idea of having her anywhere around it though made him more than nervous. His instinct was telling her to get her as far away from it as possible. His rational mind was telling him that now was not the time for being a gentleman though.

"You know I'll go with you anyway," she stated.

Hardison groaned. "Okay, seriously?! Do we have to discuss that now, with a bomb next door and tons of guests downstairs?!"

"He's right." Bonanno nodded. To Hardison, he said, "Let's hurry to get those people out of here."

Hardison threw another warning look into the direction of the couple before he left with Bonanno. Parker crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You want to go and take care of the bomb with me now, or wait until it blows up?" she asked.

Eliot just rolled his eyes at her. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her with him. Hardison's faked excited voice was echoing up to them as they disappeared into the room next door. Looking for the bomb fortunately didn't take them long.

"Those idiots," Parker complained, shaking her head in disbelief, "couldn't even find a decent hiding place for it. In a closet? For real? What a shame!"

"Yeah, but it's not like their idea wasn't actually working," Eliot told her, carefully placing the explosive item on a close table. "If Hardison hadn't noticed something was odd with those guys..." He tried his best to hide his nervousness at the number the display was showing. "Dammit, five more minutes!"

"And those idiots believed they'd be allowed to get out," Parker said in disgust.

"Who cares?" Eliot asked back. "This thing's going to blow up! We can be glad we found it in time! Now can we please focus on making it stop?"

Resisting the strong urge to make her leave as well, Eliot focused his attention at the object in front of him. He couldn't prevent his hands from shaking slightly as he examined the bomb. All the time, he had been aware of the fact that their real enemy was a dangerous person, and a smart one as well. He had chosen those idiotic men for a reason: they were just good enough to hide a bomb, but not smart enough to realise that he planned on blowing them up as well. To get rid of witnesses of course. He shook his head at the countdown, trying his best not to imagine what would have happened if Hardison had noticed the men just a few minutes later, if they had needed any longer to react and get the needed information.

"Dammit!" he hissed as the small clock kept on counting backwards. Two more minutes, and he still hadn't figured out what to do. "Parker, either help me or get out of here already!"

To his utter surprise, she just shook her head at him in response. "There's not enough time left to get out of here now," she stated calmly.

"Then what else do you expect us to do, huh?" Eliot wanted to know, needing all his self-control to stay in control over himself.

She shrugged. "How about you let me take care of it?" she suggested. At his disbelieving look, she added, "You just took it from me and started to work on it. You didn't let me look. You didn't even want me to be in here in the first place, right? Because you think I don't know how to handle a simple bomb."

"I didn't want you to stay in here because I don't want you to get hurt, dammit!" he shouted back.

Parker's expression softened a little. "That's sweet of you," she said. "I don't want you to get hurt either though. So you can surely understand that I could've never left you alone in here with that thing."

"Fine, yeah," Eliot sighed. "Can we please discuss that later though?! Do you know how to defuse this bomb or not?!"

She grinned. "Of course I know how to do that."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?!"

Ignoring the almost overwhelming anger in his voice, Parker shoved him aside. Almost lovingly, she took the bomb into her hands. A few quick pulls and twists, and the display stopped. Proudly, she turned around to him.

"You and Hardison might know quite a lot about bombs and things that blow up," she said. "But I've worked with this stuff more often than both of you combined. I love to blow up stuff, remember? It's like getting into a security system. Not that different from each other."

Eliot could only stare at her in disbelief. He had defused a fair share of bombs himself in the past. When it came to computer related ones, Hardison was their expert. But Parker knew them all, thanks to her affinity for explosive things. He should've known what she had been up to the moment she had visibly calmed down as they had found the bomb. Unfortunately, he had been too busy with playing the hero and taking care of it on his own. Mentally, he cursed himself. This was the problem when feelings were involved.

"Don't ever do something like that again, okay?" he eventually managed to say. "Next time...just tell me straight away what the problem is. Moments like this aren't really the best for teaching someone a lesson."

Shrugging, Parker stepped closer. "Only if you stop playing the hero all the time. There are others who can rescue the day as well." Her arms wrapped around his neck as she gazed up at him, right into his eyes.

"You're crazy," he managed to say, already getting distracted by the sensation of her warm breath tickling his face and the intense expression in her eyes.

"There's something wrong with me, remember?" Parker released a tiny chuckle. Then, without a further comment, she leant in and kissed him. Unable to hold on to his anger any longer, Eliot kissed her back. She was a crazy woman indeed, but a skilled one, too, and he could understand that she didn't want him to forget about that just because he felt the urge to protect her.

By the time the couple made their way downstairs as well, the guests were still gathered outside. Only Hardison had returned, waiting for them with a satisfied expression.

"Guess it's safe to say we did it, yeah?" he said. "Although you could've taken the earbuds out while kissing each other silly."

Exchanging a quick glance and a smirk with Parker, Eliot answered, "How did you manage to make them all leave? And stay outside?"

"Oh, you mean how genius me did an awesome job that didn't even involve computers?" Hardison asked back with a wink. "That's easy, man! I improvised. Plus I pay attention to the news. The weather updates, to be more exact."

"Meaning?"

"Means I knew the sky would be nice and clear tonight," Hardison said. "Thought it'd be romantic to let the guests view the stars and the moon for a bit. Out here, so far away from the next city, you can actually see a few stars, and as almost all those guests are actually coming from bigger cities, I doubt they saw a lot of beautiful night skies yet."

"Not bad," Eliot had to admit, nodding impressed. He wanted to add more but was interrupted by two more people joining them inside. The looks Nate and Sophie gave them as they joined the trio already said more than words.

"I think there are a few things you might want to explain to us," Nate said. "For example why, in the middle of the party, you lure everyone outside for some star watching. Or why our dear friend Captain Bonanno is keeping three guys around himself that don't really look too happy. Let me guess...in a few minutes, there might be a few police cars showing up here?"

"Maybe. You never know." Hardison shrugged, trying his best to look as innocent as possible.

Sophie shook her head at him. "You'll never be a good liar. What happened in here?"

"Adam Worth, that prison guy we took down a few years ago, hired some idiots to hide a bomb in here and blow up the wedding," Parker summed up, shrugging. "We just took care of that." To emphasize her words, she presented the defused bomb to the couple.

"And you don't think you should've informed us?" Nate wanted to know.

"We didn't want to ruin your wedding," Hardison said. "So Eliot played mastermind and we took care of it on our own. Worked pretty well as you can see. Building's still standing and the guests are happily star-gazing out there."

"Really?" Sophie asked, turning to Eliot with a questioning look. "That's what you guys did? You took care of it on your own so the wedding wouldn't be disturbed."

"It's what friends do, right?" he asked back with a smile. "No need to worry, everything's okay. Bonanno will take care of the rest for us." He mentally sighed at the grateful look Sophie gave him in return. "Just accept it as another wedding gift, okay?"

"Well done, guys." Nate took the bomb, examining it with raised eyebrows. "Never thought Sophie and I would be your clients one day." He smiled. "Anything else we missed?"

"Oh yeah." Hardison grinned. At the warning look he received from Eliot though, he quickly added, "I mean...yeah, you're missing out on something right now. You know, the stars and all. You don't have such a nice view in Boston."

Still with raised eyebrows, Nate studied the trio. He shook his head. "Then we should go back outside I think," he said. "And on the way, I might hand this over to Bonanno, if you don't mind."

"Nah." Hardison shook his head. "Certainly don't mind getting as much space between me and that thing as possible, to be quite honest."

Nate nodded. He gave them another long look. "Thank you," he said then.

They nodded in response. Hardison sighed lightly as he watched the married couple heading outside again. Straightening himself then, he said, "So. Now that the job's done...I think I'm going to look for Sarah. You know, to celebrate how amazing I am."

And with those words, he left as well. A gentle tug at the sleeve of his shirt made Eliot turn around again. Parker greeted him with a smile: not a teasing one this time. "This wedding wasn't that bad," she admitted, willingly allowing him to pull her closer again. "Definitely wasn't boring."

"I'm just wondering what you liked better," Eliot replied, with a smirk of his own. "The wedding itself, what's been going on between us, or the thing with the bomb?"

"Oh, the wedding was nice. And the bomb was exciting," she said, stepping even closer. "But the thing with you... I like it. I like it a lot. Very much."

"Things have changed," he repeated her earlier words. "I don't know about you, but I like them this way."

She nodded in agreement. "Shouldn't we discuss this now? I mean, isn't that what you have to do at this point?"

He shrugged. "I don't see what's there to be discussed. Why don't we just enjoy it the way it is, and see how things will develop?"

Parker seemed to like the idea. This time, it was his turn to kiss her first. Eliot was convinced that the two of them agreed on everything that was important for this new relationship that was about to start. Who needed to discuss the details?

And he agreed with her. The wedding, despite the little complications they had to deal with, had turned out to be a lot nicer than they had expected. In more than just one way for all of them.


End file.
